★★★Must-see·Palace
Grand Palace
พระบรมมหาราชวัง
The Emerald Buddha's home — Thailand's most sacred ground.
The royal compound that defines old Bangkok: the Emerald Buddha in its glittering chapel, walls of Ramakien murals, and courtyards of gold that overwhelm on first visit. It is busy, hot and strict on dress — long trousers, covered shoulders, no exceptions — and still unmissable. Arrive at 8:30 sharp; by ten the tour groups own it. Check for royal-ceremony closures before you go.
Diego Delso CC BY-SA 3.0 · Jakub Hałun CC BY-SA 4.0 · Wikimedia Commons · resized · tap to enlarge
Visiting
- Open
- daily (closes for royal ceremonies) · 08:30–16:30
- Last entry
- 15:30 (ticket sales end)
- Entry
- ฿500
- Dress
- Official ban list: sleeveless/see-through/short tops, shorts, torn or tight trousers, mini skirts, sleepwear
- Allow
- 2–3 h
Checked 10 Oct 2026 against royalgrandpalace.th, openstreetmap.org, commons.wikimedia.org, cdn.royalgrandpalace.th. Things change: closures for royal ceremonies and holidays are common.
By train
- Sanam Chai (MRT BL31) · Exit 1 — Exit 1, turn left and walk along Sanam Chai Rd, about 800 m (MRT). By river: Tha Chang pier (N9).
Exits from metro.bemplc.co.th, th.wikipedia.org · checked Oct 2026
Visiting a temple
- Shoulders and knees covered, for everyone. Sarongs are usually available at the gate, sometimes for a small deposit.
- Shoes come off before you step into an ordination hall — watch what everyone else is doing at the threshold.
- Most compounds open early, around 08:00, and close by 17:00–18:00; the major ones charge foreign visitors a small entry fee.
- Early morning is cooler, quieter and far better light than midday.
royalgrandpalace.th
Getting there
- Tha Chang·Chao Phraya Express Boat~7 min walk
- Tha Chang·Cross-river ferries~7 min walk
- Tha Chang·Chao Phraya Tourist Boat~7 min walk
- Tha Tien·Chao Phraya Express Boat~8 min walk
Typical times, not a timetable · rail, boat and BRT routing runs right in the atlas.
While you're here
- Queen Sirikit Museum of Textiles·Textile museum~4 min walk
- Wat Pho·Temple~7 min walk
- City Pillar Shrine·Foundation shrine~6 min walk
- Tha Chang Pier·River pier~7 min walk
The neighbourhood
Grand Palace sits in Old Town · Rattanakosin — Where Bangkok began.